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Monday, February 7, 2011

We have a man in the house! Plus a book giveaway...

**Giveaway is now closed**

Are you an accidental adult? If not, you're probably married to one, dating one or just broke up with one. Colin Sokolowski wrote the book on reluctant grownups. Literally. It's called "The Accidental Adult: Essays and advice for the reluctantly responsible and marginally mature." And he's here to share a guest column with Chick Lit Central fans about having a work wife (even though he does have a real wife..and three kids..at his home in Minnesota). He also has one signed copy of his book to give to a lucky reader in the US. (Sorry everyone else!)

If you like what you've read here, check out his blog, and "like" his page on Facebook.

My Work Wife

To most people who know me, I think it’s fairly evident. I love my wife Kelly. A lot. She’s beautiful, funny, smart, talented and she has impeccable taste in life partners. Like all marriages, mistakes are made from time to time. But I always forgive her and move on.Now that my re-declarations of devotion are out of the way, I also need to confess something else. And it’s precisely because of the security and trust I feel in my marriage that I can say this.Turns out, I have a work wife.Her name is Bridget. But to protect her anonymity, let’s call her Holly. Even though Holly is about a decade younger than me, our demographics have a lot in common – we’re both happily married to supportive spouses, we have young kids and we’re living in St. Paul/Minneapolis suburbs.So what makes her my work wife? First, let’s define our terms. A work wife, or work husband for that matter, is someone who provides a completely harmless, entirely platonic relationship that helps keep you sane 40+ hours a week, while also providing for your many workplace needs. In my case, these needs typically include:• CHEEZ-ITs at 10 a.m.• Gum at 10:30 a.m.• Help manipulating Excel spreadsheets and interpreting reports. (Math sucks.)• Wardrobe advice. (Are my white ankle-high socks geeky, or should I just go sockless for the rest of the day?)• Commiseration and cheap therapy when work gets ugly.• Postage stamps.• Change for the Coke machine.Yes, Holly fulfills all of these needs for me. And she does it without attaching those messy, ridiculous demands often placed on traditional marriages. Pressures like remembering to leave your spouse with a full tank of gas or properly soaking and scraping your chili-caked bowl in the sink before throwing it into the dishwasher.Instead of writing me unnecessary little notes like, “Don’t forget it’s your turn to drive to dance tonight,” Holly writes me helpful notes like, “Here’s how much of your budget you’ve already spent. You owe me one billable hour for figuring this out.”Like most of my previous relationships with women, I was very slow in realizing I had this formal connection with Holly. It wasn’t until a few months ago when I finally realized she had become my work wife. We were standing in our office parking lot, and she was helping me identify which one of my brake lights had burned out. In full accidental adult mode, I stepped to the back of the car to see where she was pointing, and the open (but locked) driver’s door swung shut, leaving me locked out of my running car, with no spare key. Of course, Holly knew what to do. She called AAA and assured me her membership services could apply to my car as long as she stayed with me and signed for it. Acting remarkably similar to my real wife, she even told the tow truck guy not to scratch my car when he was snaking his unlocking device through the window. I drive a 1998 sedan with 145,000 miles and 155,000 scratches on it. That’s funny stuff Holly.Clearly, I value my work wife. So what does Holly get out of the relationship? I think one time I proofread something for her. Another time, after she complained that her office windows were too streaky, I wrote a “Wash Me” message in soap from the outside. (She was three months pregnant with twins and totally missed the humor of my hijinks.) And once I thought about brushing the snow off her car after work, but then I got distracted. Really, I think it’s the thought that counts.But whatever I bring to the relationship is not what’s important here. What matters the most is that my work wife will continue to be there for me 9 -5, Monday through Friday. At least I hope she stays put. I’m bound to lock myself out of my car again, and like most accidental adults, I still don’t have AAA.

Thanks to Colin for his insightful blog post and for contributing a book to our giveaway.

How to win "The Accidental Adult":Please comment below with your e-mail address.(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus:1. Please tell us: Do you have a "work spouse?" 2. Please tell us: How are you an accidental adult?3. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).4. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.5. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)

US only. Giveaway ends Sunday, February 13th at midnight EST.

For another chance to win this book, visit Manic Mommy. (Deadline unknown)

Disclosure of Material Connection:

Some of the links in the posts above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will add value to our readers. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."